"Always bet on Bond…."

Film Synopsis:

CASINO ROYALE introduces JAMES BOND before he holds his license to kill. Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

My Take:

The James Bond franchise is the longest running film series to my knowledge. I am amazed at how each installment never seems to lose its fresh appeal. Casino Royale is special for two reasons. The first is that it is technically the first James Bond story and second because it introduces us to the newest and sixth actor to play Bond, Daniel Craig. I have to admit that when I heard that he was the new Bond I was pretty skeptical. I had seen him in several films, including Layer Cake and Tomb Raider, and wasn’t sure he had the chops to pull Bond off. After seeing Casino Royale my skepticism was assuaged. The character has a much different feel that is highlighted by more of a reckless arrogance and darker persona than we have seen from any previous Bond. Personally I find it invigorating. Director Martin Campbell returns (he directed Pierce Brosnan’s Bond debut in Goldeneye) with action that is quick paced, in your face, and physically more challenging than any other Bond film to date. The film’s opening (after the black and white segment) represents the most intricately staged foot chase sequence I have ever seen. Each time I see it I am amazed at the incredible dexterity displayed by Sebastien Foucan, as Mollaka the bomb maker, the man Bond is pursuing on foot. The story is well paced, and features a satisfyingly sophisticated plot that seems apropos to the “new” Bond. Like many of the Bond films I find replay value on Casino Royale to be high and enjoy re-visiting it from time to time.

Parental Guide:

The rating is for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity.

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Audio: 90

Dynamics:

Low frequency extension:

Surround Sound presentation:

Clarity/Detail:

Dialogue Reproduction:

Video: 88

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

Resolution/Clarity:

Black level/Shadow detail:

Color reproduction:

Fleshtones:

Compression:

Casino Royale Collector’s Edition comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 25 mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio that has an average bitrate of 2.3 mbps.

This is the same video encoding that was included in last year’s Blu-ray release. Images are sternly detailed with deep rock solid blacks and dynamic contrast that enhances the story’s elements. Colors are exaggerated in appearance but not to the point of distraction. Flesh tones are nicely delineated with fairer complexions and less so with darker ones but overall reproduction is realistic in depiction. Resolution is excellent as images have a visually satisfying and definitive three dimensional quality regardless of perspective. Sharpness is rarely called into question and any subtle variations appear innate to the photography rather related to the encoding. I saw no signs of video related anomalies or artifacting.

Casino Royale received a lossless Dolby TrueHD audio encoding for this Collectors’ Edition release versus the uncompressed PCM audio included on the original. Comparing the two I noticed the TrueHD soundtrack seemed as though it had been mixed a bit hotter. The same sequences watched via the PCM track were noticeably lower at the same volume setting. Matching the levels I didn’t find an appreciable difference in dynamics, clarity or low frequency detail. The same attributes existed in both. This came in the form of high level detail, defining clarity, and rich, room filling surround sound that didn’t disappoint. This is sophisticated sound design that incorporates a vast number of sound effects that are intricately mixed to engage the listening position. Bass is substantive and can sometimes be vigorous in depth but never rises inappropriately in prominence within the soundfield. The delicate blend of music, discrete/ambient sounds, dialogue and bass is supremely enriching as it weaves an aurally stimulating pattern across the entire surround platform.

Bonus Features:

This collector’s edition release sports a host of new bonus supplements dedicated to Bond and Casino Royale. There are several Blu-ray Disc exclusives including a multiplayer/multilevel Bond trivia quiz and Bonusview PiP commentary. There are 5 featurettes that explore the Casino Royale story and background as well as the locations where it was filmed. Included are cast and crew interviews as well as production footage. The original making of and stunt features from the original release are present and accounted for as is the 2006 Bond girls documentary. Those with BD-Live access can view four short features on the upcoming Quantum of solace Bond film as well as download other blu-ray disc content. 4 Deleted scenes and 3 BD previews round out a rather comprehensive feature package. All of which are offered in high definition unless otherwise indicated.

Hear from Quantum of Solace Director Mark Forster on the challenges of taking on a bond film

Final Thoughts:

This new release of Casino Royale features excellent audio/video quality that is easily demonstration material worthy. Technically it brings nothing appreciably new to the table over the 2007 Blu-ray Disc release. What it does offer is a plethora of bonus supplements and Blu-ray Disc exclusive content that should keep fans happy for hours. If you own the previous release whether or not to double dip will be dependent on how important bonus features are to you. If you don’t already own this excellent 007 flick then there is no better way to experience it than this. Highly recommended.

I was waiting to see if this was going to be the same as the Australian version...Since it isn't i have just ordered the Australian version online...It's very minor differences but i still would prefer that version since the transfer sounds to be about the same as does the sound quality. Extra's i can live without.

I was checking the australians website and noticed that they will also have a similar version like this... I wonder if it will be the extended (uncut) version plus the new features... If is like that I will definetely get it....

Oh, is this really not a collectors addition in the sense that you have to pay more for it over the base model, as it fully replaces the regular disc. As long as we are talking the same price, I really don't care, I just don't want to pay extra for some bonus features I will never watch, but if they are free I guess I will take them.

Finally purchased this last night. I'm glad that I upgraded to this version.

Being the Bond fan I am, I am really enjoying the Special Feature documentaries i'm finding on the disc, particularily the story of how CASINO ROYALE came to the screen. If you are a trivia junkie, this set is for you.

Techinically speaking, the picture is on par (though I did notice less grain) with the original release. I did find an improvement in the audio. I heard details i'd not heard before. Perhaps it's because of the bit depth of the TRUEHD being 24bit as opposed to the PCM 16bit.

Yesterday I got the australian version of the collector's edition and I agree with this review.. It is really good... The difference between the US and the australian version is that the latter is an uncut version of the film.. The most notable scene is the fight between Bond and the african military leader....
The booklet inside the package is quite nice too....

Yesterday I got the australian version of the collector's edition and I agree with this review.. It is really good... The difference between the US and the australian version is that the latter is an uncut version of the film.. The most notable scene is the fight between Bond and the african military leader....
The booklet inside the package is quite nice too....

Does the Australian version have anything else that yells "Australian" about it? Like, I don't want to get one that has decked out menus that say, "Play the movie, Mate" or "Go down under with special features." Are the cases different? Does the front cover say "Australian Special Edition?" These are small things for me where I would prefer going with the American version over the Australian version.

Does the Australian version have anything else that yells "Australian" about it? Like, I don't want to get one that has decked out menus that say, "Play the movie, Mate" or "Go down under with special features." Are the cases different? Does the front cover say "Australian Special Edition?" These are small things for me where I would prefer going with the American version over the Australian version.

Yesterday I got the australian version of the collector's edition and I agree with this review.. It is really good... The difference between the US and the australian version is that the latter is an uncut version of the film.. The most notable scene is the fight between Bond and the african military leader....
The booklet inside the package is quite nice too....

Hi all... Not sure if I should post this here, or in the player section, so did both - mods obviously delete either post if this not permitted.

Obviously this could be a (player and/or disc) region-specific problem, but thought it worth checking on here as well as local forums...

I picked up the Australian 2-Disc Casino Royale yesterday, for my Samsung BD-P1500 (Australian), and it has some pretty major problems, but I believe them to be an issue with that item and the player, ie not a problem with my INDIVIDUAL disc or player.

First there's the thoroughly annoying 'Bonusview' icon popping up in the top corner. I turn it off (using the little 'Info' then 'Disc Menu' trick), but it comes back! Turn it off, it's back again shortly after :-P I've turned off Disc Messages in the main player menu, which suffices (though I obviously turn them back on after watching, otherwise there are NO onscreen icons, e.g. Play, FF, etc).

The WORST problem though, is that once the movie starts, if I Pause or FF at all, my speakers suddenly show 'No Digital input', and once I hit play again, the movies moves a few frames then hangs. I change audio track, no good - it starts moving again (still soundless) then jams again... can turn the speakers on and off (though they're pretty clearly not the problem), no good, even totally Stop or Eject the disc and put it back in, no good - I actually have to turn the player off and back to fix it.

The movie plays fine if I leave it totally alone, and I can't honestly say if my speakers always 'lose' signal if I FF or Pause (never noticed, and didn't have time to test other discs yesterday), but regardless whether they do or not, this disc still has the problem of hanging if I pause or fast forward. I can sorta break out of the hang, so the PLAYER's not frozen, by bringing up the popup menu, can go back to main menu etc, but even THAT goes a few frames then hangs, and the speakers never receive any signal again (til the player's power cycled as above).

I tried changing from Audiophile to Bitstream, which actually continues to show 'DTS' on the LCD during the Pause/FF (so it doesn't decide there's no signal at all), but the hang still happens. Tried removing ethernet cable and USB drive (both connected in readiness for firmware update), no difference.

So yeah, seems to ME like an issue with 'Casino Royale' (the 2-disc one at least) and this unit, as opposed to an issue with my individual disc or player.

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I'm looking to pick up the Australian uncut version of Casino Royale (Deluxe Edition), but I can't find it anywhere (except EzyDVD, which has it listed as out-of-stock for months).
Can anyone that picked up this edition suggest me an online store that ships to Europe, and carries this title?